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A Taste of the East

I love Indian food and really enjoy cooking it, so I thought I’d share one of my favourites with you. I know this one isn’t quite as popular in England, but if you’re north of the border you are 99% sure to love pakora. It’s been my favourite cheap takeaway since I was in my teens, but it absolutely has to have pink pakora sauce with it (none of this dark red stuff some of the kebab shops give you!)

It’s really simple to make. Give it a try and let me know what you think. This recipe will make around 60 pieces (perfect for parties, especially as you can make it the day before and heat it up), but believe me you will eat some when you’re making it!

300g gram flour (this flour is absolutely essential – no substitutes – I used to have to go to an Asian shop for it, but you should be able to get it in all the supermarkets now).

50g self-raising flour

1 tbspn dried chilli flakes

0.5 tbspn coriander seeds

0.5 tbspn cumin seeds

1.5 tspn garam masala

1.5 tspn tandoori masala (if you can’t get this don’t worry, although I picked some up in Morrison’s)

1.5 tbspn lemon juice

1 tspn salt

2 med/large potatoes

4 med/small onions

chopped spinach (I use frozen and use 3 “blocks” of it

Mix together the flours and spices in a large bowl, add the lemon juice then stir in water until you have a nice thick smooth batter (if you feel it is too runny later, it’s no big deal to add more flour before cooking (or between batches). Set aside for 20 minutes.

Heat your fryer to 180 degrees (or heat vegetable oil in a deep pan until a cube of bread turns brown and crispy when dropped in it)

Finely chop the potatoes and onions (I’m lazy so I do them in the food processor whilst I’m thawing the spinach in the microwave).

Stir the vegetables into the batter until they’re all well coated (if the batter’s too runny/thick, gradually add more flour/water.